UEFA Champions League draw pairs Benfica–Real Madrid as PSG land Monaco

The uefa champions league draw on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, set up a February gauntlet for several European heavyweights, with eight two-leg knockout phase play-offs deciding who reaches the round of 16. The headline is Benfica drawing Real Madrid in an immediate reunion, while holders Paris Saint-Germain must navigate a domestic derby against Monaco—high-stakes ties arriving before clubs would traditionally expect elimination football.

The draw was held in Nyon, Switzerland at 6:00 a.m. ET, with first legs scheduled for Feb. 17–18 and return legs on Feb. 24–25 (all dates 2026).

UEFA Champions League draw: the play-off ties

Eight matchups were confirmed, pairing seeded sides (league-phase positions 9–16) with unseeded opponents (positions 17–24). Seeded teams will play the second leg at home, a meaningful edge in ties expected to be tight.

The play-off ties are: Benfica vs Real Madrid; Monaco vs Paris Saint-Germain; Newcastle United vs Qarabağ; Club Brugge vs Atlético de Madrid; Borussia Dortmund vs Atalanta; Olympiacos vs Bayer Leverkusen; Bodø/Glimt vs Inter; and Galatasaray vs Juventus.

Key takeaways

• The format rewards league-phase finishing position: seeded teams host the second leg.

• Two domestic/near-familiar matchups (notably PSG–Monaco) compress the margin for tactical surprises.

• Several clubs face immediate “season-defining” pressure in February rather than March.

• The next bracket-shaping moment is the round of 16 draw on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026 (ET).

Benfica vs Real Madrid: an immediate rematch

Benfica–Real Madrid stands out as the marquee pairing, arriving days after a dramatic league-phase meeting that Benfica won 4–2. That result helped drop Madrid into the play-off round rather than the top-eight places that bypass February entirely, turning what could have been a reset into an instant test of resilience.

For Madrid, the task is as much psychological as tactical: prove the late league-phase stumble was a blip, then handle a two-leg tie where game management matters as much as moments of brilliance. For Benfica, the opportunity is clear—translate a statement win into a knockout elimination while avoiding the trap of treating the previous result as predictive. The second leg at Madrid’s home ground will likely be the hinge point, especially if the first leg in Lisbon is close.

PSG vs Monaco: derby pressure in Europe

Paris Saint-Germain drawing Monaco transforms the play-off round into a French derby with immediate consequences. PSG’s presence at this stage is the bigger storyline: as defending champions, the club now must win a two-leg February tie simply to reach the round of 16.

Monaco, meanwhile, get a familiar opponent but with the added intensity of continental stakes and the practical challenge of managing domestic and European commitments simultaneously. These kinds of matchups can reduce the “unknowns” of European competition—fewer surprises, more emphasis on execution—while also raising volatility because the teams know each other’s patterns, personnel, and pressure points.

Newcastle’s travel test and the rest of the bracket

Newcastle United’s tie with Qarabağ stands out for the logistical challenge as well as the footballing one. European travel and turnaround times often become a hidden variable in two-leg ties, influencing squad rotation and late-game energy levels—especially across a busy February calendar.

Elsewhere, Atlético de Madrid vs Club Brugge and Juventus vs Galatasaray bring contrasting styles and atmospheres, with second legs likely to become cauldrons if margins remain slim. Inter’s meeting with Bodø/Glimt adds intrigue given the Norwegian side’s recent reputation for making home conditions count, while Dortmund vs Atalanta and Leverkusen vs Olympiacos look like ties where tempo swings and set pieces could decide everything.

Dates to watch and what comes next

The play-off round runs over two midweeks: Feb. 17–18 for the first legs and Feb. 24–25 for the return legs (2026). Winners advance to the round of 16, where the competition calendar tightens again in March.

The next major checkpoint is the round of 16 draw on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026 (ET), which will set the next matchups and clarify the pathway deeper into the tournament. For clubs forced into February play-offs, that means there is no “easy” week left: every result now feeds directly into the spring run-in, with squad health, rotation discipline, and away-leg management likely to separate the survivors from the early exits.

Sources consulted: UEFA; Reuters; The Guardian; ESPN; Al Jazeera